1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of education. More specifically, the invention comprises a method for embedding educational material in everyday tasks carried out on modern computing devices.
2. Background of the Invention
Modern computing devices provide an opportunity to embed a variety of educational materials. The term “modern computing devices” is broadly intended to encompass anything capable of providing questions and scoring the answers given in response to the questions. Examples of such devices include cellular phones desktop computers, and laptop computers. Of course, many other devices now incorporate text displays and keypads or other useful input devices. As an additional example, many programmable microwave ovens are capable of being modified to provide questions and score answers.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art cell phone 10. The phone includes function keys 14, keypad 12, and display 16. FIG. 2 provides a more detailed view of the keypad and display. The reader will note that the keypad includes an array of number/letter buttons 20 which can be used to input text and numbers. Menu buttons 22 can be used to scroll through various user options. Phone keys 24 are typically provided to control the conventional phone functions.
Most displays can now display text, graphics, and even photorealistic images. The depiction in FIG. 2 is a basic display function informing the user that he or she has an incoming call. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the input and display features thus described are capable of providing complex educational materials and monitoring a user's responses to those materials. These features are exploited by the present invention to provide a flexible and useful educational tool.